These rules shielded DHS from most of the effects of the two-week government shutdown in 2013. About 86 percent of DHS employees reported to work despite the appropriations lapse. About 31,000 of DHS’ employees were furloughed during last year’s shutdown, while nearly 200,000 worked their regular schedules. The disruption would certainly be felt at the agency enough to affect daily operations, but the impact would be relatively minimal and would not likely influence Obama’s action....

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/dhs-secretary-warns-dhs-bill-comes-if-anyone-planning-go-mall(CNSNews.com) - Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson went on the Sunday talk shows to demand that Republicans fund the Department of Homeland Security without blocking money for President Obama's executive amnesty plan...."I would say that, if anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they have got to be particularly careful. And, as the statement you read indicates, there will be enhanced security there that will be apparent to people who are there," Johnson told CNN's "State of the Union" with Gloria Borger....According to CNN, DHS officials began "walking back" Johnson's warning after he appeared on the Sunday shows.

A spokesman for DHS told CNN the agency "is not aware of any specific credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center."

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

Obama argued that he has merely “expanded my authorities” – not broken any laws:

“What we’ve done is we’ve expanded my authorities under executive action and prosecutorial discretion as far as we can legally under the existing statute, the existing law. And so now the question is, how can we get a law passed.”

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

These are the 11 countries that enforce compulsory voting:Argentina – Introduced in 1912.[17] Compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 years old, non-compulsory for those older than 70 and between 16 and 18. (However in primaries, citizens under 70 may refuse to vote, if they formally express their decision to the electoral authorities, at least 48 hours before the election. This is valid only for the subsequent primary, and needs to be repeated each time the voter wishes not to participate.)Australia – Introduced in 1924.[17] Compulsory for federal and state elections for citizens 18 years of age and above. The requirement is for the person to enroll, attend a polling station and have their name marked off the electoral roll as attending, receive a ballot paper and take it to an individual voting booth, mark it, fold the ballot paper and place it in the ballot box. The act does not explicitly state that a choice must be made, it only states that the ballot paper be 'marked'. According to the act how a person marks the paper is completely up to the individual. In some states, local council elections are also compulsory.[18] At the 2010 Tasmanian state election, with a turnout of 335,353 voters, about 6,000 people were fined $26 for not voting, and about 2,000 paid the fine.[19]Brazil[20] – Compulsory for literate citizens between 18 and 70 years old. Non-compulsory for Brazilian Youth age 16-17 or over 70 or illiterate citizens of any age. A justification form for not voting can be filled at election centers and post offices.Cyprus - Introduced in 1960.[17]Ecuador – Introduced in 1936.[17] Compulsory for citizens between 18 and 65 years old; non-compulsory for citizens aged 16–18, illiterate people, and those older than 65.LiechtensteinLuxembourg - Voluntary for those over 70.North Korea - Everyone over 17 is required to vote. For a single candidate that their party leaders select for the ballot.[21]Nauru - Introduced in 1965.[17]Peru[22] – Introduced in 1933.[17] Compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 years old, non-compulsory for those older than 70.Singapore – Compulsory for citizens above 21 years old as of the date of the last electoral roll revisionUruguay - Introduced in 1934, but not put into practice until 1970.[17]Schaffhausen canton in Switzerland has compulsory voting - Introduced to Switzerland in 1904, but abolished in all other cantons by 1974.[17]

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

Martin O'Malley, a likely Democratic presidential candidate, took a shot this morning at Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, saying that the presidency is not a "crown" and need not "be passed between two families." Of course Clinton's husband Bill Clinton was president. And Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, and brother, George W. Bush, were both president.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_JovisVilla Jovis ("Villa of Jupiter"; also Villa Iovis, sometimes misspelled Villa Ionis) is a Roman palace on Capri, southern Italy, built by emperor Tiberius and completed in AD 27. Tiberius mainly ruled from there until his death in AD 37

..Tiberius Caesar enjoyed orgies. According to Suetonius: "teams of wantons of both sexes, selected as experts in deviant intercourse and dubbed analists, copulated before him in triple unions to excite his flagging passions."...

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

PALM CITY, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama is teeing off in Florida with a trio of oil and private equity moguls....

Obama was joined for his round of golf Sunday by Jim Crane, who owns the Floridian. Crane is a major Democratic donor who also owns the Houston Astros and golfed with Obama and Tiger Woods in 2013. He's also a major player in the Texas energy industry.

Also in Obama's foursome is Milton Carroll. He's on the board of directors of Halliburton, the oil company closely associated with former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney.

Time for another tee-off! Obama touches down in Florida for weekend golf getaway without the First FamilyThe President arrived in Fort Pierce, Florida, alone on Saturday morningHe is spending the weekend at the Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, less than 50 miles north of Palm BeachIn 2013 he stayed at the same resort and played with Tiger WoodsObama is playing Alonzo Mourning, Ahmad Rashad and Cyrus Walker, a cousin of Obama's senior adviser, Valerie JarrettHe was rumored to also be play Butch Harmon, Woods' former coachOn Sunday he will return to Washington and the First Family

FORT PIERCE — President Barack Obama arrived in the Treasure Coast on Saturday for a golfing getaway, hitting the exclusive links at the Floridian National Golf Club with former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning and former NFL player and sportscaster Ahmad Rashad.,...

A motorcade ferried Obama the 25 miles from the airport to the Floridian, a club that straddles the border between Martin and St. Lucie counties along the St. Lucie River and is owned by Democratic donor and Houston Astros owner Jim Crane. Obama golfed with Crane and Tiger Woods there during a February 2013 weekend trip in which the president was also kept from the view of the public and the media.

On Saturday, the Obama-Mourning-Rashad foursome was filled out Cy Walker, a frequent golfing companion of the president who is a cousin of Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.The White House did not publicize the fact that Air Force One would be landing at St. Lucie International before Saturday. But a few people heard about the arrival and rushed to the airport to try to get a glimpse either of the president or his plane

In its latest attempt to shut down media coverage, the White House Saturday dismissed reporters to their Florida hotel by declaring a news lid even though President Obama was just beginning his golf game — but the press pool voted to stay....

Carroll serves as chairman of Center-Point, which provides electricity and natural gas to more than 5 million customers in six states. He says he "works closely with our CEO to assure that the company’s strategic direction is consistent with the board’s goals."

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

PANAMA — President Obama is nearing a decision on removing Cuba’s three-decade-old designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, citing progress in his push to normalize relations with the island nation as he arrived here on Thursday night for a summit meeting of Latin American leaders.

On the eve of the gathering, where he will come face to face with the Cuban "Dictator" president, Raul Castro, for the first time since he announced in December that he would seek to normalize relations with the country, Mr. Obama said the State Department had completed a review that he had ordered of Cuba’s status on the list of states that sponsor terrorism....

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

Cubans also like the American president more than they like their own leaders

President Obama is overwhelmingly popular in Cuba, according to a new poll—so popular, in fact, that residents of the island nation give him almost double the approval ratings he gets back home....Cubans were also far more likely to express a positive opinion of Obama than of their own leaders. Only 47% of Cubans have a positive opinion of their current president, Raul Castro, while 44% have a positive opinion of Fidel Castro, according to the survey.

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

It Can't Happen Here is a semi-satirical 1935 political novel by American author Sinclair Lewis. Published during the rise of fascism in Europe, the novel describes the rise of Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a populist United States Senator who is elected to the presidency after promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and traditional values. After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government and imposes a plutocratic/totalitarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force, in the manner of Adolf Hitler and the SS. The novel's plot centers on journalist Doremus Jessup's opposition to the new regime and his subsequent struggle against it as part of a liberal rebellion. Reviewers at the time, and literary critics ever since, have emphasized the connection with Louisiana politician Huey Long, who was preparing to run for president in 1936 elections when he was assassinated in 1935 just prior to the novel's appearance...http://learcenter.org/pdf/WWRoss.pdf

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5

The Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, says it has the authority to control all waterways within the United States — and will exercise that authority

“We’re finalizing a clean water rule to protect the streams and the wetlands that one in three Americans rely on for drinking water. And we’re doing that without creating any new permitting requirements and maintaining all previous exemptions and exclusions,” EPA head Gina McCarthy told reporters Wednesday....

A longtime civil servant, McCarthy held the position of assistant administrator, U.S. EPA from 2009 to 2013. Prior to 2009, she was commissioner, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 2004–2009. She has held several top positions in the civil service of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including deputy secretary, Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development, 2003–2004 and undersecretary for policy, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 1999–2003.[8]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers said they are making final their proposed waters of the United States rule, which Republicans and many businesses have long panned as a massive federal overreach that would put the EPA in charge of ditches, puddles and wet areas.

....

The House has voted multiple times to overturn the rule in its draft form. Senate Republicans have taken a different strategy, with a bill to overturn the rule and give the EPA specific instructions and a deadline to re-write it.

But the White House has remained steadfast in its push to enact the rule. On Wednesday, President Obama defended the regulation as protecting vulnerable waterways and providing clear guidance to businesses that are affected.

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole ; He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. - Job 5